Tag: 2014

  • Dame Joan Ruddock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Dame Joan Ruddock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dame Joan Ruddock on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take in response to the conclusions of the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, held in December 2014.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK was represented at the Vienna conference by our Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna, Susan le Jeune. As the Vienna Conference was a discussion platform there were no formal follow up outcomes agreed. However as stated at the Conference, the UK will continue to follow the step-by-step approach to disarmament through the existing UN disarmament machinery and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received from creditors of companies which have gone into liquidation about the priority of payments in cases of liquidation.

    Jo Swinson

    I occasionally receive representations from creditors of companies in liquidation about priority of payments in those cases. In broad terms, the principle applied in insolvency cases is that creditors are treated equally, and will receive any payment they are due after the fees, costs and expenses of the liquidation have been paid. This is not an area which the Government has any current plans to change.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2015-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle Islamophobia.

    Stephen Williams

    This Government has done more than any other to tackle anti-Muslim hatred which includes:

    • setting up the first ever cross-government working group on anti-Muslim Hatred;
    • provided start-up funding to the Tell MAMA initiative to record incidents and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred;
    • establishing a UK Srebrenica Memorial Day which recognises the fatal consequences of hatred and division;
    • running social media workshops to build the capacity of community organisations to use social media effectively;
    • holding 8 integration roadshows with communities to find out what more Government can do to integrate communities and tackle anti-Muslim hatred;
    • following the attacks in Paris, the my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (Eric Pickles) and my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, the Noble Lord Ahmad wrote on 16 January to mosques across England reassuring them of Government help if they experience anti-Muslim hatred;
    • the Department has also assured faith and community leaders of its support to their commendable efforts to foster mutual understanding and shared respect and is also in close contact with the Police who are reassuring communities and providing protective security advice and guidance.
  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if she will take steps to increase maintenance loans for university accommodation in respect of (a) students in places with expensive accommodation costs and (b) other students.

    Greg Clark

    The Government announced an increase of 3.34% to maximum maintenance loans for the 2015/16 academic year earlier this year. This increase will apply to all rates of maintenance loan, including the higher rate loan for students living away from home and studying in London, where living costs (including those for accommodation) are generally higher.

    Decisions on student support arrangements for higher education courses are taken on an annual basis. The Government will review student support arrangements for the 2016/17 academic year in 2015.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken in response to the discovery of horsemeat in other foods in 2013 to improve co-operation between Government departments on public health issues.

    Jane Ellison

    The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to develop its capability in relation to food fraud, in response to recommendations made in the reviews of the horsemeat incident, working closely with other Government Departments, enforcement agencies, local authorities and industry to detect and deter food fraud. The FSA is building an intelligence gathering network to increase the opportunity to capture and act on intelligence which may be indicative of future risks, as well as producing strategic and tactical assessments to share with relevant enforcement agencies, particularly through the Government Agency Intelligence Network.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent changes in Japan’s constitution and its defence doctrine.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK welcomes a more active role for Japan on international peace and security. These reforms, based on a reinterpretation of Japan’s constitution, will allow it to make a greater contribution to international peace and security, including through exercising its right under the UN Charter to collective self-defence. We have worked well with Japan in difficult security environments overseas and we welcome the prospect of greater practical cooperation in these areas.

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much St Bartholomew’s Hospital Trust invested in the establishment of its Gamma Knife Centre in 2009; what the source of such funding was; and how much of that investment has since been recouped.

    Jane Ellison

    We are advised that three senior neurosurgery consultants are responsible for the Gamma Knife operation at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, along with one neuro interventional radiologist and two clinical oncologists. All are employed by Barts Health NHS Trust, and are overseen by the Clinical Director for Neurosciences and the Group Director for Emergency Care and Acute Medicine, both of whom are clinicians.

    HCA employs one senior administrator, the Acting Chief Operating Officer for the Harley Street Clinic, along with the physicist and nursing staff and an administration co-ordinator who work in the Gamma Knife centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

    We are advised that HCA owns the Gamma Knife based at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and that HCA pays a rental fee to Barts Health NHS Trust.

    We understand that, as the Gamma Knife was purchased by HCA, St Bartholomew’s Hospital (then part of Barts and The London NHS Trust) incurred minimal set up costs for the establishment of the service in 2009. This included costs for associated building work to accommodate the facility.

    Gamma Knife surgery is funded by NHS England as the commissioner for all specialist services. We are advised that Barts Health NHS Trust receives approximately £9,200 per patient from NHS England and that HCA charges Barts Health £7,310 per patient treated by the Gamma Knife facility at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

    If the hon. Member wishes to obtain further information about the Gamma Knife facility at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, he may wish to contact Barts Health NHS Trust directly.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to support the establishment of charities that support people with learning disabilities working in communities throughout the UK.

    Norman Lamb

    Government departments do not establish charities, but do work with a wide range of organisations which are led by, represent or support disabled people, some of which are registered charities.

    The Government is committed to enabling disabled people, including people with learning disabilities, to fulfil their potential and play a full role in society.

    The Department for Work and Pensions is working with Mencap and the British Institute for Learning Disabilities to look at improving employment support for people with learning disabilities. Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) are run by and for disabled people. They have an important role in changing perceptions, giving disabled people a stronger voice, and providing peer support in areas such as social care, financial services, employment and volunteering. The Government is working to help strengthen existing disabled people’s user led organisations and help develop new ones. DPULOs in the United Kingdom have received funding for 178 projects from the DPULO programme; 13 of which are specifically for people with learning disabilities and a further 129 deal with a range of disabilities, including learning disabilities.

    We will continue to work with all partners, including the voluntary sector, to change the culture and practice of services in order to improve the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities, including their employment.

  • Henry Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Henry Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2013, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the large number of procedures in the direct diagnosis category.

    Norman Baker

    The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2013 report a total of 52,444 procedures were conducted on 6,725 animals with ‘Direct diagnosis’ as the primary purpose. This represents a 3% increase on the total number of procedures, in this category, in 2012 and a 1% increase on the number of animals, in this category, in 2012. Most procedures reported under the category ‘Direct diagnosis’ involve the collection of blood or blood products from either non-immunised animals or animals immunised against various antigens. The procedure of blood collection is classified as being of low severity and, with appropriate licence authority, may be repeated
    many times in the same animal. The products from these procedures, including whole blood and antisera, are used in diagnostic tests.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when the Government plans to announce the UK’s contribution to the Green Climate Fund; and whether that contribution will be, proportionately, in accord with the funding being sought by the Fund for its initial resource mobilisation.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The UK government considers all resource mobilisations in terms of impact and value for money for the British taxpayer. Any announcements are timed to encourage international donors to step up to the plate.